Eddy-current clutch mounting means



July 13, 1954 v. GEORGEFF 2,683,825

EDDY-CURRENT CLUTCH MOUNTING MEANS Filed sept. 12, 1952 2 Sheets-sheet 1 July 13, 1954 v. GEORGEFF 2,683,825 EDDY-CURRENT CLUTCH MOUNTING MEANS Filed Sept. 12, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 j r///// 80 60 l-lllmlljl INVENTOR.

Patentecl July 13, 1954 EDDY-CURRENT C MEA LUTCH MOUNTING Vasil Georgef, La Grange Park, Ill., assigner to Danly a corporation of Illinois Application September 12, 1952, Serial No. 309,308

(Cl. Mil- 96) 5 Claims. 1

My invention relates to an eddy-current clutch mounting means and more particularly to the assembly of an eddy-current clutch with the fiywheel of a power press.

Eddy-currentclutches are frequently used with power presses. These clutches are known to the art and may advantageously be of the type made by the Dynamatic Corporation of Kenosha, Wisconsin. Eddy-current clutches are essentially eddy-current coupling devices and offer many advantages. The coupling is substantially an eddy-current generator in which both the armature and the field rotate. Eddy currents are generated by the relative motion between the two members, the torque being developed between opposite magnetic are-as. A press fitted with eddy-current clutches will start and stop smoothly and a wide control of speed and torque may be obtained in a relatively simple manner. Since they do not employ friction surfaces and rely on energy transfer on the medium of an electromagnetic induction, they ordinarily are easy to maintain and the absence of friction surfaces eliminates wear. Then, toc, the electromagnetic coupling principle cushions the transfer of energy, thus minimizing torsional strains, and shocks. Their operation is quiet.

in spite of all the advantages presented by eddy-current clutches, one serious disadvantage is present. In order that they may operate eil`- ciently, a comparatively small air gap must exist between the rotor and the stator of the cou* pling. In a typical case, the air gap is .035 of an inch. In an illustrative construction, for example, the field winding comprising the stator is attached to the flywheel of the power press and constantly rotates therewith. The iiywheel is mounted on a shaft which is supported by two bearings carried by the frame of the press either directly or through pillar blocks. The flywheel is customarily fitted with a pair of bearings and the housing for the stator winding is tted with a bearing. `Secured to the shaft within the field is the rotor adapted to be coupled to the rotat ing clutch field when the eld is energized. The shaft, therefore, carries between two bearings a rotating assembly comprising' the flywheel and the rotating stator field of the clutch device. Aside from the difficulty to align three bearings, we are faced with the fact that the shaft itself has an inherent flexibility. rihe weight of the rotating parts is such that they tend to bow the shaft. The deflection of the shaft will cause a decreased gap on one side and an increased air gap on the other side. This eccentricity in the Machine Specialties, Inc., Chicago, Ill.,

` air gap produces heating. This bowing always introduces abnormal wear on the center of the three bearings. As the center bearing wears, the inherent flexibility of the shaft on which the three bearings are mounted permits the shaft to bow slightly. This further reduces the air gap between the ield and the rotor of the clutch. After this wear has proceeded a sufficient amount, metal-to-rnetal contact between the rotor inductors and the iield housing occurs, resul in injury to the equipment. Furthermore, besides extreme damage to the equipment, an accidental operation of the press may occur when this coridition exists, which may result in serious or fatal injury to operating personnel. Then, too, if the pressI is part of a production line, the breakdown of the press representsv a further serious nancial loss.

One object of my invention is to provide an eddycurrent clutch mounting for use with power presses in which the field housing is exibly secured to the iywheel in order to avoid abnormal wear of the center bearing.

Another object of my invention is to provide an eddy-current clutch mounting means for power presses in which no loss in air gap will be experienced through abnormal wear.

Other and further objects of my invention will appear from the following description.

in the accompanying drawings which forni part of the instant specication and which are to be read in conjunction therewith and in which like reference numerals are used to indicate like parts in the various views:

Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a portion cf a power press equipped with an eddy-curren'- clutch mounting containing one embodiment of my invention.

Figure 2 is a sectional View taken on the line 2 2 of Figure l.

Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional view of a portion of Figure l, showing details of my improved eddy-current clutch mounting means.

In general, my invention contemplates securing the eld housing for the eddy-current clutch to the flywheel for rotation therewith in a manner to permit the differential relative longitudinal movement between parts of the flywheel and the field housing. In this manner if 'there any bowing or deflection of the shaft on which the parts are mounted, no abnormal wear or" the center bearing of the mounting assembly will occur. If the field winding is bolted rigidly to the flywheel, as is the practice in the prior the press shaft on which the assembly is mounted tends to remain straight, but increased stresses and abnormal wear of the center bearing invariably results. By providing a flexible coupling arrangement no loss in torque is experienced, and the center bearing is not employed to tend to keep the mounting shaft straight, thus eliminating undue pressure and abnormal wear in the center bearing. This, I have found, eliminates the difficulty and prevents the loss of air gap with the attendant disastrous results. After a test of a press equipped with an eddycurrent clutch mounting means embodying my invention under load conditions for over six months I could detect no loss of air gap after repeated progressive measurements. In this construction of the prior art an appreciable loss of air gap under the same conditions of test is uniformly noted.

More particularly referring now to the drawings, the drive shaft In of the press is mounted for rotation upon bearings l2 and iii carried pillar blocks is and i8, which are in turn mounted upon the press frame Zll. Rotatably mounted upon shaft i!) on bearings 22 and 2li is the flywheel 2E, which is continuouslyr driven by a motor (not shown) in any appropriate fashion, as for example by V-belts 28 adapted to seat grooves formed in the periphery of the flywheel, as is well known to the art. rl'he flywheel bearings are provided with a lubricating system which forms no part of the instant invention. The flywheel may have secured thereto a centrifugal fan 3d for providing cooling air in a system which forms no part of the instant invention.

A housing 32 is adapted to support the neld winding 3s of the eddy-current clutch. Formed integrally with the housing are a plurality of extensions 36 which are securely bolted by means of bolts 3B to an annular plate lill. The annular pla-te is secured to the `flywheel by nuts l2 threaded upon studs 44. The inner ends of the studs All are provided with screw threads as coacting with an internally threaded portion formed in the flywheel 26. A sleeve 5e surrounds each stud 44. openings in the annular plate lid. A cylindrical boss 54 is formed around the center of the flywheel and the inner periphery Eil of the annular `plate i5 is seated about this boss. The nut il?. secured to the threaded end 58 of the stud of a cotter pin 6@ such that the base surface of the nut 42 is spaced from the surface ll of the annular plate 4I! through a small distance, say one thirty-second of an inch. The plate, therefore, is free to move axially of the axis of rotation of the flywheel but is constrained to rotate with the flywheel through the studs There is sliding engagement between a bushing 52 and the sleeve 5B and there is sliding engagement between the boss 5d and the surface rIhe field housing 32 is provided with a plurality of spider arms l@ terminating in a hub l2 which is carried by a bearing 'lli moiuited upon the shaft lil. It will be seen that we have three bearings, lll, 22 and 24, which, in the construction of the prior art, must be in perfect alignnient. The rotor l@ of the eddy-current clutch keyed by key 'i8 to the shaft lil for rotation therewith. The rotor carries a plurality of inductor bars 30 in which the eddy currents are generated whenever the eld M, is energized, and the flywheel causes the field Sli to move relative to the inductor bars all. The induced currents in the inductor bars carry the rotor 'it around, thus rotating the shaft. The air gap between the A bushing 52 is seated within bearing wears, the shaft will then be free to 4 field winding 34 and the inductor bars E@ must be small if the eddy-current clutch is to be at all efficient. In a typical case, this air gap will have a dimension of .035 of an inch. The rotor l, it will be seen, is carried by the shaft iii. The field housing 32 and its associated winding 3d is carried in part by the bearing lll and in part by the flywheel bearings 22 and 2li. The flywheel itself is carried by the last two bearings. All of the bearings in turn are carried by the shaft lil. The flywheel, in a typical case, may weigh five tons, while the eddy-current clutch parts may weigh two tons. Thus we see that there is a weight of seven tons suspended on shaft lil between the two bearings l2 and lll. This weight tends to deflect the shaft, or bow it, slightly. It will be readily appreciated that if the clutch housing 32 were rigidly bolted to the flywheel, this tendency would be reduced and the thrust transmitted to the center bearing 22 increased. This increased thrust causes excessive and abnormal wear of the center bearing 22. When the center deflect under the load and in so doing reduce the air gap, and when the wear is of sufficient extent, may cause several extremely deleterious effects. The stator and the rotor of the clutch may lock due to the loss of the air gap. iThis will cause an accidental operation of the press, with its attendant dangers. First, there is the danger of serious or fatal injury to the personnel operating the press. Then, too, if this occurs ing a feeding operation before the stock ,n position, or during a period. of die adjustment, extreme damage to the press will be caused. Furthermore, the eddy-current clutch will be seriously injured whenever locking occ r" By means of my eddy-current clutch assembly I relieve the undue stress upon the center bearing and thus eliminate the abnormal wear on it which occurs in constructions of the prior art. The deflection is so slightvthat both the held housing with its field and the r "or of the eddy-current clutch do not move rei tive to each other, even though the shaft ifi is sl htly deected or bowed under the weight y it supports. In this bowing movement the nular plate lid moves away from the flywheel surface slightly at the top portion indicated by the reference 4i in Figure l. The plate is permitted to skew slightly by the space provided between the bottom surfaces 52 of the nuts and the surface of the annular plate the plate sliding supported by its bushings EEZ, with respect to the sleeves 5i). By relieving the pi e upon the center bearing and permitting the shaft to seek. its natural shape under the load, all abnormal wear on the center bearing is eliminated and the air gapconstantly maintained over long periods of time.

A second field winding Sh is shown in l cooperating with a second rotor Q2 which is keyed to the shaft by key til. The nel-d. win` ng is supported in the housing 215 which is rigi carried by the press frame S3. Whenever the winding SQ is energized, a bra-RiniT action occurs. In the normal operation of the eddy-curro clutch assembly the braise field winding is energlued wholly or in part whenever the ciutoh winding :te is energized in whole or in part.

A pinion let carried by the shaft iii for rotation therewith meshes with the driving trein. of the press, as is well known in the art.

It will be seen that I have accomplished the objects of my invention. I have provided an eddy-current clutch mounting for use with power Dresses in which the eld housing is exibly secured to the iiywheel for axial motion with respect thereto but longitudinally secured to the iiywheel for rotation therewith. I have provided an eddy-current clutch mounting means in which no loss of air gap will be experienced through abnormal Wear whereby to avoid the dangers accompanying the loss of the air gap between the eddy-current clutch stator and the eddycurrent clutch rotor.

It will be understood that certain features and subcombinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and subcombinations. This is contemplated by and is within the scope of my claims. It is further obvious that various changes may be made in details within the scope of my claims without departing from the spirit of my invention. It is further to be understood that my invention is not to be limited to the specific details shown and described.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

l. in an eddy-current clutch assembly for power presses, a frame, a shaft, means for rotatably supporting the shaft on the frame, a flywheel, a pair of bearings carried by the shaft for rotatably supporting the flywheel thereon, an eddyourrent clutch having an eddy-current member and a iield member, al third bearing carried by the shaft, means for supporting one end of the field member on said third bearing, yeldable means carried by the flywheel for rotation therewith and axial movement with respect thereto for supporting the other end of the eld member and means for supporting the eddy-current member on the shaft for rotation therewith.

2. An eddy-current clutch assembly as in claim 1 in which said flywheel is formed with a central boss and said yieldable means comprises an annular plate mounted on said boss, means for securing the plate to the flywheel for rotation therewith while permitting a limited axial movement of said plate with respect to the flywheel and means for securing the other end of the eld member to said plate.

3. An eddy-current clutch assembly as in claim 1 in which said flywheel is formed with a boss and said yieldable means includes an annular plate carried by the boss and formed with a plurality of openings, a plurality of studs carried by the iiywheel and passing through said plate openings and constraining said plate to rotate with said flywheel, nuts carried by said studs, means for positioning said nuts on said studs spaced from the surface of the plate whereby to permit a limited degree of axial movement of the plate and means for securing the other end of the held member to said plate.

4. An eddy-current clutch assembly as in claim l in which said yieldable means includes an annular plate formed with a plurality of openings, axially directed studs carried by the flywheel and passing through said openings, bushings oarried by the studs having sliding engagement with the interior peripheries of the openings, means carried by the studs for securing the plate to the flywheel for limited axial movement with respect thereto and means for securing the other end of the eld member to said plate.

5. An eddy-current clutch assembly asin claim 1 in which said yieldable means carried by the ywheel includes an annular plate provided with openings, bushings positioned in said openings, axially directed studs carried by the flywheel and passing through said openings, sleeves carried by said studs providing frictional supporting surfaces for said bushings, nuts carried by said studs for securing said annular plate to said studs, said nuts being spacedly positioned from the surface of said plate to provide for limited axial movement of the plate with respect to the flywheel and means for securing the other end of the ield member to said plate.

Name Date Winther May 31, 1949 Number 

